Clinical Studies of Storage Iron with Desferrioxamine

TRANSFUSIONAL hemosiderosis, or secondary hemochromatosis, is a consequence of chronic blood-replacement therapy for refractory anemias.2 Desferrioxamine appears to be the most satisfactory therapeutic agent currently available for the treatment of this iron-overloading complication, but studies of urinary excretion of iron have suggested that the clinical efficacy of desferrioxamine is quite limited3 4 5 except in its application to the treatment of acute iron intoxication.6 , 7 The present report records a markedly elevated fecal excretion of iron during periods of desferrioxamine therapy, suggesting that in the treatment of iron-overloading disorders, this agent may be more clinically useful than prior studies have indicated.Materials and . . .